Bad Romance (song)
|album = The Fame Monster |previous = — |next = "Alejandro" }} "Bad Romance" is a song sung and written by Lady Gaga, with the help of RedOne. The song also serves as first single off The Fame Monster. The song was first performed as a short acoustic version live on Saturday Night Live on October 3, 2009. The song premiered on October 6th during the finale of Alexander McQueen's Fashion Week show and on Radio One on October 19th. The digital single was released October 26th, in USA and Canada, and the day after, the single reached the #1 spot on both the American and Canadian iTunes Top Songs Chart. The song was then released October 27th, worldwide. Writing and inspiration After a concert in Russia, Lady Gaga was in Norway and got the inspiration to write "Bad Romance". A demo of the song was recorded in Amsterdam with RedOne, this version has less vocal tracks, and has a different beat at the intro and has been changed slightly in the chorus. Towards three quarters into the song, the French verse of the album version is replaced with "I want your love and I want your revenge. I want your love I don’t wanna be friends". The lyrics in general, talk about exploring the joys of a bad romance but this idea changes during the intermediate bridge when the lyrics talk about fashion. While being interviewed on the November 2, 2009 episode of It's On with Alexa Chung, Gaga pointed out that she was listing Alfred Hitchcock films (Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window) in the verse, "I want your psycho, your vertigo shtick/Want you in my rear window, baby you're sick." She stated, "What I'm really trying to say is I want the deepest, darkest, sickest parts of you that you are afraid to share with anyone because I love you that much. Along with the rest of the songs from The Fame Monster, "Bad Romance" deals with a monster. This song represents her "Fear of Love Monster". Composition According to MTV, the song is similar in tempo to Gaga's previous single "Poker Face". The song opens with Gaga singing a portion of the chorus that then transitions into the "Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah/Roma-roma-mah/Gaga-ooh-la-la" hook. It is followed by the sound of drum beats and keyboard arrangement. The bridge with Gaga voicing the line "You know that I want you/And you know that I need you/I want your bad, your bad romance." It is followed by the full-throated chorus, where Gaga sings "I want your love/And I want your revenge/You and me could write a bad romance ... Caught in a bad romance." According to About.com the music is best suited for viewing fashion designs and on the runway. Slant Magazine said that the music consists of new wave synths and a number of endless hooks. The Independent felt that the chorus has influences of the music of Boney M while The Guardian wrote that it recalled the music of Depeche Mode's fifth studio album Black Celebration (1986). The song is set in the time signature of common time with a metronome of 119 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of A minor with Gaga's vocal range spanning from the low-note of E3 to the high-note of A5. The song follows in the chord progression of Am–C–F–C–G in the verses and F–G–Am–C–F–G–Em–Am in the chorus. Critical reception It was announced on August 2, 2010, "Bad Romance" became only the second song in history to earn 10 MTV Music Video Awards nominations, along with Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer". On October 24, 2011, "Bad Romance" was listed on Time magazine's list of “All-TIME 100 songs”. The list of songs include those that have been released since the first issue of TIME magazine in 1923. TIME.com released a statement regarding the song. :"Aren’t pop stars supposed to be sweet? Britney, Christina and Katy just wanted to love and be loved by you. Even Madonna’s early work was largely about thanking her lucky stars and wanting to dress you up in her love. But Gaga doesn’t want any of that. On the lead single from her second album, The Fame Monster, she pines for a destructive relationship that she knows will end in disaster. (Or, according to the music video, a singed bed and a corpse. Either/or.) She will play mind games. She will use you. “Bad Romance” is an infectiously catchy dance song about all of the crazy, messed-up feelings people have for one another." Reference in popular culture *On November 17, 2009, couple: Mollee Gray and Nathan Trasoras, did a performance to the song on So You Think You Can Dance. *In the "Miami, We Have a Problem" episode of CSI: Miami, the song was used as an intro to the episode. *The song was covered on the Fox musical comedy television series, Glee, by the Glee Cast, on the episode "Theatricality". *In the "The Last Days of Disco Stick" episode of Gossip Girl, Lady Gaga made a cameo as a performer. This episode aired on November 16, 2009. *Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt sang a cover of the song at hitRECord.org's third Summer in the City show, on September 6, 2010. *Chelsea Handler made her entrance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards to the song, while wearing a white house as a headpiece, and a dress, with a dove hidden underneath. *On The X-Factor live finale 2010, some of the contestants covered the song. Commercial release "Bad Romance" is the first single from The Fame Monster. The song is written by Lady Gaga and RedOne. She debuted an acoustic part of it on Saturday Night Live. She shot the video for "Bad Romance" on the 16th and 17th of October, 2009. The single was released on October 27, as digital download. Physical release Australia / Germany / United Kingdom (2726752) The Australian pressing was made in Australia. France (2730863) United States — The Remixes (B0013969-22) United Kingdom (2726754) ;Side A (45RPM) ;Side B (33RPM) Remixes USA BD Remixes1.png Bad Romance Remixes Pt 2.png Performances Concert tours Lyrics Album version Demo version Music video }} thumb|250px|right|The official video. The music video was directed by Francis Lawrence, and Gaga said that she was "impressed" with herself and the outcome of the music video. She explained, "I knew Lawrence's ability as a director is so much higher than what I could do." Her creative team Haus of Gaga managed the art direction for the video. The music video received 7 MTV Video Music Awards, making a record for most awarded music video by a female artist. The music video premiered on November 10, 2009. Background During an interview with Rolling Stone, Gaga confirmed that movie director, Francis Lawrence, had directed the music video, and that she was "impressed" with herself and the outcome of the music video. She explained, "I knew Lawrence's ability as a director is so much higher than what I could do." Her creative team Haus of Gaga managed the art direction for the video. Gaga further explained her experience of working with Lawrence. :"I wanted somebody with a tremendous understanding of how to make a pop video, because my biggest challenge working with directors is that I am the director and I write the treatments and I get the fashion and I decide what it's about and it's very hard to find directors that will relinquish any sort of input from the artist. ... But Francis and I worked together. ... It was collaborative. He's a really pop video director and a filmmaker. He did I Am Legend and I'm a huge Will Smith fan, so I knew he could execute the video in a way that I could give him all my weirdest, most psychotic ideas, ... But it would come across to and be relevant to the public." Gaga created a pair of razor-blade sunglasses as she believed that it portrayed a tough female spirit. She emphasized that "I wanted to design a pair for some of the toughest chicks and some of my girlfriends ... they used to keep razor blades in the side of their mouths, ... That tough female spirit is something that I want to project. It's meant to be, 'This is my shield, this is my weapon, this is my inner sense of fame, this is my monster.'" The white latex suits in the video were designed from the character Max's wolf costume for the movie Where the Wild Things Are. She also wears Alexander McQueen's 12-inch high shoes. Synopsis and fashion credits Bath Haus of Gaga The video begins with Gaga sitting in a white throne, wearing a golden dress and glasses made from razor blades. She is surrounded by several people and her signature harlequin Great Dane. She has her finger on the mute button of an iPod speaker (from which a synthesized excerpt of the fugue in B minor from Book 1 of the Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach emanates as an intro to the music video), and when she releases it, "Bad Romance" begins to play. The lack of the mafia member which is murdered suggests that this scene occurs at the end of the storyline. BadRomance1.png BadRomance1 2.png :Lady Gaga: Dress and Heels by Alexander McQueen, Razor-Blade Glasses by Tom Talmon Studios, "Liquid Leather" nail polish by China Glaze, Gold Mesh from Jo-Ann Fabric. Monster Sunlight begins to pan across the walls of a bath house activating the fluorescent lighting, and a sign is shown that reads: "Bath Haus of GaGa". A group of dancers wearing white long-sleeved leotards with knee high boots and matching crowns crawl out of white, egg-shaped pods. The center pod has the word "Monster" written on it, and Gaga emerges from it wearing a similar outfit to the dancers, who begin to dance behind her. BadRomance2.png BadRomance2 2.png :Lady Gaga: Outfit by Haus of Gaga. Kidnapping When the chorus of the song begins, two supermodels pull her out of a bathtub, rip her clothes off and force her to drink a glass of vodka. Afterwards, this setting is used to show Lady Gaga in the bathtub. During these instances, Lady Gaga's eyes are digitally enlarged. BadRomance3.png BadRomance3 2.png BadRomance6.jpg BadRomance8.jpg :Lady Gaga: Silicone Rubber Dress by Rachael Barrett, Dragon Heels by Alexander McQueen, “Alpine Snow" nail polish from OPI in Matte. :Bath girls: Silicone Rubber Dresses by Rachael Barrett. Reflection For a brief instant, Lady Gaga is looking at herself in a mirror while the rest of the room is darkened. BadRomance4 2.png Lauren Dukoff - Bad Romance 02.jpg BadRomance4.png :Lady Gaga: Dress and Heels by Alexander McQueen, Crown by Lauren Machen. Conscious Close ups of Lady Gaga are shown throughout the music video. The shots of the face show an image of remorse and sadness. At one point, Lady Gaga is crying. Also, Gaga is seen dancing naked in a shower. Her body is digitally altered to show the spin and decrease the size of her waist. BadRomance5.png BadRomance5 2.png :Lady Gaga: Bat Headpiece by Shinji Konishi, “Alpine Snow" nail polish from OPI in Matte. Auction As the second verse begins, Gaga, wearing a diamond-covered outfit complete with a crown, seductively dances for the members of the Russian Mafia bidding on her. She straddles one of the men, played by Slovenian model Yuri Bradač, and performs a lap dance on him. Afterwards, he raises his bid and becomes the highest bidder for her. BadRomance6.png BadRomance6 2.png BadRomance6 3.png Lauren Dukoff - Bad Romance 04.jpg :Lady Gaga: Trench coat by Vava Dudu, Diamond Crown and Outfit by Franc Fernandez. Diamond Display Lady Gaga is seen being displayed to the bidders while diamonds, which are descending from the ceiling, are surrounding her in order to make the mafia members fall into greater lust. Lady Gaga strikes several poses and the camera rotates around her as these poses are made. BadRomance7.png BadRomance7 2.png :Lady Gaga: Mask by Keko Hainswheeler, crystal rosary by Benjamin Cho, Dragon Heels by Alexander McQueen, underwear by Agent Provocateur and Liquid Leather" nail polish by China Glaze. :Russian mafia members: Masks by Jaiden rVa James. Orbit Display In this scene, images of Lady Gaga posing in an orbit-like contraption are shown. She strikes several poses and the camera rotates around her as these poses are made. BadRomance8.png BadRomance8 2.png Lauren Dukoff - Bad Romance 01.jpg Lauren Dukoff - Bad Romance 05.jpg Lauren Dukoff - Bad Romance 06.jpg BadRomance7.jpg BadRomance5.jpg :Lady Gaga: The Orbit by Nasir Mazhar, Heels by Alexander McQueen, Underwear by Agent Provocateur, “Alpine Snow" nail polish from OPI in Matte. Murderous Intent During the breakdown, Gaga is seen walking around the room in a golden outfit. This scene is also inter cut with a portion of the bedroom scene. Where, in the bedroom scene, when Gaga stops in front of the mafia member, an image of the gold laden Gaga is seen making a hand gesture meant to replicate a gun. BadRomance9.png BadRomance9 2.png BadRomance9 3.png :Lady Gaga: Outfit and Armadillo Stilettos by Alexander McQueen, Headpiece by Charlie le Mindu. Bedroom When the chorus is played for the third time, Gaga is shown wearing a faux polar bear hide jacket. She walks toward the man, who is sitting on a bed, unbuttoning his shirt. Gaga has a look of indifference on her face and removes her jacket and sunglasses. Suddenly, the bed spontaneously combusts with the man still sitting on it. BadRomance10.png BadRomance10 2.png Russian Mafia Leader.jpg BadRomance10.jpg :Lady Gaga: Polar bear faux jacket by Benjamin Cho, heels by Alexander McQueen, rat headpiece by RP/Encore, sunglasses by Carrera, and “Alpine Snow" nail polish from OPI in Matte. :Russian mafia leader: Chin Protector by Manuel Albarran. Blood Red Starting at the build up towards the final chorus, Lady Gaga is seen lying on the floor with a troop of dancers following suit. Then begin a heavily choreographed dance sequence which is inter cut with the bedroom scene until the music finishes playing. BadRomance11.png BadRomance11 2.png :Lady Gaga: Outfit by Alex Noble. Charred Corpse The video ends with Gaga lying beside a smoldering skeleton on top of the destroyed bed with ashes everywhere. She smokes a cigarette, while her pyrotechnic bra activates. BadRomance12.png BadRomance12 2.png Lauren Dukoff - Bad Romance 03.jpg :Lady Gaga: Pyro-Bra by Haus of Gaga, Rat Headpiece by RP/Encore, Underwear by Agent Provocateur, Dragon Heels by Alexander McQueen, “Alpine Snow" nail polish from OPI in Matte. 3-D version A 3-D version of the music video was made, however, there is no talk of a future release. The video looks to be mostly in black and white, little scraps of color here and there. The major notices are the dancers while in the "Bath Haus of GaGa", the crystals that surround Gaga while she poses for the ring of men, the fire, and her Pyro-Bra. The track that's placed with the video is the clean version of the song. To view this version, the 3-D glasses are provided in The Super Deluxe Fame Monster Pack. Charts and certifications |valign="top" align="left" width="50%"| ;Year-end charts |} Credits Song Personnel *All instruments played and programmed — RedOne *Recorded — RedOne at Record Plant (Los Angeles, California, ), FC Walvisch ( ) *Mixed — Mark "Spike" Stent *Assisted — Matty Green *Engineered — RedOne, Dave Russel, Eelco Bakker (FC Walvisch) Music video *Lady Gaga — Herself *Bath girls — Unknown (x2) *Russian mob boss — Yuri Bradač *Russian mobsters — Josh Thomas, Shawn M., Tye MoHawk, Unknown (x9) *Director — Francis Lawrence *Producer — Heather Heller *On set photographer - Lauren Dukoff *Production Company — DNA *Director of photography (Cinematographer) — Thomas Kloss *Art direction — Haus of Gaga *Editor — Jarrett Fijal (Bonch) *Stylist — Nicola Formichetti *Hair — Syd Curry *Make up — Billy Brasfield (Lady Gaga, dancers, and extras) *Manicurist — Kimmie Kyees *Choreographer — Laurieann Gibson *Production designer — Charles Infante *Sets — Vision Scenery *Scenic Artists — Antje, Jon, Michael *Visual effects — Tim Jarvis (Skulley Effects) *Telecine (Colorist) — Dave Hussey (Company 3) *Commissioners — Nicole Ehrlich, Kathy Angstadt *ISRC — USUV70903493 *Dancers — Amanda Balen, Molly d’Amour-Goslin, Graham Breitenstein, Montana Efaw, Sloan Taylor-Rabinor, Valerie Moise (Raistalla), Pamela Jean-Smith Products placement *Parrot by Philippe Starck *Ukranian vodka brand, Nemiroff *HP Envy ‘Beats Limited Edition’ laptop from Monster *A nunchuck from the gaming system the Wii. *Carrera Champion/P Sunglasses Publishing References *''The Fame Monster booklet'' *BMI | Repertoire Search *Billboard.com *FC Walvisch Studio *Nicola Formichetti's Blog: Francis Lawrence directs Lady Gaga's music video for Bad Romance *Nicola Formichetti's Blog: Bad Romance music video Fashion Credits Category:Songs Category:Singles Category:Music videos Category:The Fame Monster songs Category:The Fame Monster singles Category:The Monster Ball Tour songs